Eodolphus l



R. L. WEBB.

Reversible Knob-Latches.

No.137,159. PatentedMarh25,1873.

' AM. PHDTO-LITHUGRAPHIC c0. Mflossomva's Pnaczsg) UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BODOLPHUS L. WEBB, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE RUSSELL & ERWIN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN REVERSIBLE KNQB-LATCHES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 137,159, dated March 25, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RoDoLPHUs L. WEBB, of New Britain, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Reversible Latches; and I do hereby declare that the following specification, taken in connection with the drawing making a part of the same, is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

Figure 1 is a side view. Fig. 2 is a side view of the interior of the latch, the capplate being removed. Fig. 3 is a view in section on theline 00.90 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of the hub and its arms.

My. invention resides in combining, with the horseshoe-plate, a latch-hub capable of being rotated in its bearings on at least two of its axes, whereby a novel means is afforded, without loosening the latch-plate, for so disconnecting the arms of the hub which the knob-spindle operates from the horseshoeplate with which the said arms of the hub engage to work the latch connected with such plate, that the latch-head may be projected so far beyond the face-plate of the case as to admit of its being reversed at pleasure, to adapt the same to a right or to a left hand door.

The drawing exhibits a lock or latch case, A, of common construction. The mechanism for working the bolt is not necessary to be shown, as it has no connection with the latch mechanism. B denotes the hub, which is provided with the usual square hole for receiving the knob-spindle. It is also provided with arms a a, which engage with the horseshoe-plate C in the usual manner so that the retractile movement of the latch may be effected by turning the knob in either direction. The horseshoe-plate is united to a latch-head, D, which :is provided with a shank, I), and a swivel-joint, c. The spring E is applied in a well-known manner for throwing the latch forward when not controlled by the knob.

To effect that disconnection between the.

hub in its outline is spheroidal in form, as illustrated in Fig. 4.

Obviously, when the hub and its seat in the walls are constructed with such general outline, a ball-and-socket joint will be formed, which will enable the hub to be semi-rotated on its vertical or horizontal axes.

The points of engagement 'of the ends of the arms of the hub with the horseshoe-plate are shown at d, Fig. 2, and a space of threesixteenths of an inch, or more, exists between the under face of the horseshoeplate and the back wall of the lockcase.

When the hub is tilted or semi-rotated on its vertical axis in its socket-bearin g, the arms a a are thrown out of connection with the horseshoe plate, and occupy a part of the space underneath the plate above mentioned, sothat the horseshoe-plate can he slid forward over the arms for a short distance. By this'means a person desiring to reverse the latch-face can, with his thumb and finger, take hold of the projecting latch-head and pull it forward far enough to bring its square portion beyond the face-plate, when, by means of the swiveled connection of the latch shank with the horseshoe-plate, he can set the latch for a right or a left hand door, and then, after pushing it backward into the case, the hub can be righted into position, and all the parts will thereby be restored to their proper operative relation.

When the latch is applied to a door and the knob spindle inserted it will be impossible for the latch-head to be reversed.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A latchhub having a spheroidal outline, mounted within the lock-case so that it may, as usual, be rocked or rotated in its bearings by and with the knob-spindle, and also semi- "rotat'ed in its bearings independently of said spindle, in combination with a horseshoe-plate and swiveled latch-head, substantially as described, whereby the hub and horseshoe-plate may be temporarily disconnected, for the purposes specified.

RODOLPHUS L. WEBB.

Witnesses:

M. J. WOODRUFF, Tnos. G. BANKS, 

